Who can resist a slice of fresh warm bread spattered with honey! With minimal ingredients and a very easy method, this Brown Bread recipe is a sure-shot way to make tasty, low-calorie whole wheat bread at home.

If you wish to make bread, the first thing to do is learn how to handle the yeast – the temperature of the water is very important to activate the yeast. If the water is too hot or too cold, the yeast-water mixture will not froth at all, and you are unlikely to get soft and spongy bread. But, once you take care to activate your yeast with lukewarm water, then making this Brown Bread is a breeze.

Combine the yeast, sugar and ¼ cup of warm water in a bowl, cover it with a lid and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Combine the whole wheat flour, salt and yeast-sugar mixture in a deep bowl, mix well and knead into a soft dough using enough warm water.

Add the olive oil and knead very well till the dough is smooth.

Shape the dough into a proper round using both your hands while tucking the edges at the bottom.

Cover it with a dry muslin cloth and keep aside in a warm place for 45 minutes or till the dough is double in size.

Sprinkle the whole wheat flour over a smooth, flat surface, place the dough over it and knead it very well using both your hands. If the dough is getting sticky while kneading, then sprinkle little whole wheat flour as required.

Tap the dough with your fingers and spread it to make a 250 mm. X 200 mm. (10” x 8”) diameter oval shape.

Roll the dough to make a 200 mm. (8”) long cylindrical roll and place it in a greased bread loaf tin. Cover it with a dry muslin cloth and again keep aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 200°c (400°f) for 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 180°c (360°f) and bake it for 20 minutes.

Once the bread loaf is slightly cooled, de-mould it and keep aside to cool slightly.

Brush the bread loaf with little olive oil.

Once the bread loaf has cooled completely, cut it into 13 mm. ( ½’) bread slices.

Altogether mine came out good ..As a first timer am happy .need few more tips to improve the texture as my loaf was little hard and sticky in center with wheatish taste .smell too needed to improve as fermented taste smell parents didn''t like.and how to improve the colour ..needed a bit more brownish.plz help me with more tips

Tarla Dalal &nbsp&nbsp Hi Lubna, Thank you for the feedback.. As this bread is 100% whole wheat.. it will be little dense.. as there is no mix of any other flours.. Regarding the taste, if you wish you can mix other flours like bajra or nachni.. which will lesser the smell and taste of the wheat. I would also advice you to brush olive oil immediately.. once it is out of the oven.. After olive oil is brushed, let it cool completely on it own, this will help in making the loaf soft and also.. firm from inside. When the loaf is hot.. the cooking process is continued till it is cooled completely. You will also not get the fermented taste. This is the natural colour of wheat, as in the market they do add caramalised sugar to get the deep-brown colour.
I hope these few pointers would help you to make the bread perfect..

Tarla Dalal &nbsp&nbsp Hi Vijay any sunflower oil, canola oil, ricebran oil you can use. We dont promote any brand saffola, sundrop.... loads of them are there.... mustard oil gives a peculiar taste ans smell, any other oil will not change the taste.

I tried this recipe and I am very happy with its outcome. The taste, the appearance and the texture, all is like ready made bread. But what''s satisfying is the assurance of eating a completely whole wheat bread which otherwise is not possible when we buy ready made whole wheat bread. TX for the recipe.